Panthers solid in season-opening victory

Sunday

Mar 17, 2013 at 12:05 AMMar 17, 2013 at 12:12 AM

South Medford softball pitcher Hannah Newman held South Eugene scoreless in 62/3 innings and Tia Garrett and Sara Gartland both tripled in the first inning as the host Panthers earned a 10-3 win in their nonleague season opener Saturday.

South Medford softball pitcher Hannah Newman held South Eugene scoreless in 62/3 innings and Tia Garrett and Sara Gartland both tripled in the first inning as the host Panthers earned a 10-3 win in their nonleague season opener Saturday.

Newman, a sophomore, struck out five South Eugene batters and walked four. She also came through in the clutch, as the visitors stranded 11 baserunners.

Garrett was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including two by way of her first-inning triple. Gartland was 2-for-4 with a run-scoring three-bagger of her own in the first inning.

MAZAMA 21-15, ASHLAND 3-1 — At Ashland, Lynzee Wortman had six hits, scored five times and also picked up the pitching victory in the opener to lead Mazama to the nonleague sweep.

Wortman was 4-for-5 with a double and seven RBIs in the first game and 2-for-3 with two runs in the second for the Vikings, who were playing their season openers.

For the Grizzlies (1-3), Christina Kuykendall, Hannah Thornton and McKenna Read had two hits apiece in the first game.

Mazama pitcher Kaylee Grigsby held Ashland to one unearned run on two hits while also contributing two doubles in Game 2, which was shortened to five innings by the 10-run mercy rule. The Vikings took Game 1 in six innings.

NORTH BEND 11-13, NORTH VALLEY 7-12 — At North Bend, North Valley's Kasey Werner and Josephine Stark each went 2-for-3 with two runs in the second game but the Knights couldn't hold leads of 5-0 and 11-5 as North Bend stormed back to complete the nonleague sweep.

Werner also had two stolen bases in the nightcap, and Stark two RBIs. Also for North Valley (0-3) in Game 2, Kenzie Schmoll was 1-for-3 with three runs and three stolen bases.

In the opener, North Valley's Mikala Mohr went 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and two RBIs.

SANTIAM CHRISTIAN 11-15, CASCADE CHRISTIAN 1-0 — At Adair Village, Kelsey Bogue doubled and scored on a single by Allison McMahon in the sixth inning to keep Cascade Christian from being shut out in the six-inning opener.

In the five-inning nightcap, Bogue and Andrea Marshall managed the lone hits for the Challengers (0-4).

GLENDALE 13-9, ROGUE RIVER 0-10 — At Glendale, Hope Wolterman singled home Lacey Swangel with the winning run in the ninth inning of Game 2 to help Rogue River salvage a split in the nonleague doubleheader.

Swangel singled to open the frame, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout for the Chieftains (2-1).

Wolterman finished with two hits in Game 2 and joined Sara Perkins as the only players to get hits in the five-inning opener. Perkins also had a home run in the nightcap, while Josie Pratt and Brittany Fredenburg had doubles.